Zimbabwe has won the right to host the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) flagship conference of African ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development next year.
The 56th session of the ECA Conference of African ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development will run from February 28 to March 5 in Victoria Falls.
Zimbabwe and Morocco expressed interest to host the flagship event during the 55th session that was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in March.
Zimbabwe will become the second country in southern Africa to host the event in 14 years after Malawi in 2010.
Morocco, which hosted the 2019 edition, wanted the event to be in its city, Marrakesh.
In a notice yesterday, the ministry of Finance, Economic Development & Investment Promotion said ECA will be working with Zimbabwe in organising preparations for the conference.
“The MoFED & IP [Ministry of Finance, Economic Development & Investment Promotion] is inviting an internationally acclaimed event manager to assist in coordinating the preparation process for the hosting of the conference in Victoria Falls,” the ministry said in a notice.
Interested bidders must submit applications not later than October 27 at 10am.
This will be the second UN event that Zimbabwe will host in four years, after it hosted the 6th session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development in 2020.
Zimbabwe’s hosting of the UN flagship event comes as the country is seeking to grow the tourism sector by tapping into the meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibition (MICE) tourism.
The National Tourism Recovery and Growth Strategy has placed the promotion of MICE tourism as an integral component of the tourism recovery plan.
“The hosting of MICE activities such as Conferences, Events, Fairs and Festivals has the potential to bring people and businesses together thereby building trust and boosting confidence in the destination. Engagement will be made with the relevant organisations that had cancelled or postponed scheduled international conferences to have them reconvened in the future,” the document said.
The conference of ministers brings together African ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development experts and the civil society to delve on pressing issues confronting the continent and proffering solutions.